Vieux Chateau Certan 2000 750ml

Winespectator.com, Web Only - 2016
This shows some noticeable maturity at first, with black tea and mulling spice notes out front, but there's a lovely spine of briary tannins and finely beaded acidity that pulls this back to a fresher side as the core of raspberry pâte de fruit slowly wakes up, throwing off additional cherry, currant and plum nuances. By the time this all knits through the finish, you realize it's just a bit too soon to open this beauty.

Vieux Château Certan is a wine estate in the Pomerol appellation on Bordeaux's Right Bank, known for its rich, deeply colored Merlot-based wine. It is consistently rated by judges and the press as one of the very best wines in the world, and achieves correspondingly high prices at auction. Until the late 19th Century the estate was regarded as the best in Pomerol and in recent decades is challenging Pétrus once more for that accolade. A second wine, La Gravette de Certan, was introduced in 1986.

Meats, Beef and Venison